AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I wish you were,” Layla said, totally unfiltered.
Harper’s eyes flicked to mine, but she didn’t respond… and neither did I.
The conversation turned less heavy when Layla claimed she was starving. I lifted her off of my shoulders and stood her back down on the ground. Layla immediately attempted several cartwheels against a backdrop of Draper, entertaining us both, until she gave a theatrical bow and we clapped.
When Layla told us her tummy was grumbling again for the fourth time, we all piled in the car, and at her request, went to her favorite restaurant, ‘Tha Dawg House II’. It had been years since I’d visited a restaurant like it, but the food was plain, good, and wholesome. The surroundings were simple and spartan, but the atmosphere was perfect because it was empty apart from us.
“Excuse me, Mr. Harkin, my boys just love your music,” a woman gushed in a soft Southern tone. “May I ask you to sign these napkins for them? They’d be thrilled to know their momma met y’all,” the middle-aged hostess probed interrupting us at our booth. She blinked slowly as she held the napkins out.
I smiled courteously and took them from her. “Sure, what are their names?”
“Wyatt, Jordon, and Nate,” she replied, with a smile of affection at the mention of them.
“How old are they?” I asked, making conversation without looking at her as I got to work autographing the paper napkins. “Fifteen, thirteen, and twelve,” she replied.
“Oh, my. Weren’t you a busy lady?” I teased, and she glanced coyly, covered her mouth with her hand and laughed.
“Yeah, seems so,” she replied as she took back the napkins I held out and examined each of them in turn. “Thank you so much for taking the time. They’ll be thrilled when I give these to them.”
“My pleasure,” I replied, and turned my attention back to my girls. Layla looked puzzled.
“Why did you put your name on her napkins?” Layla asked.
“Because some people are strange,” I replied with a small laugh.
“Harper said you shouldn’t speak to strangers.”
“That’s right, Baby, as a child you don’t. You’ll learn all about this as you grow up. You see, because of my work, a lot of people listen to my music, and they know my name because they’ve seen me on TV. Lots more because of my concerts, right?” Layla nodded. “So, although I don’t know them, they all know who I am, and because they like my music, they want to own something I’ve touched or put my name to.”
“What? Why?” she asked incredulously with her little hands up in the air.
“I guess so they can prove they really did meet me at some time.”
Layla thought for a moment then sighed and shook her head. “You’re right, Daddy, some people are strange.”
Glancing over to Harper I saw her slowly smile, and figured on this occasion, I’d hit my pitch right in explaining away my fame as our food arrived at the table.
When Layla had filled her belly full of hot dogs and milkshakes, she yawned repeatedly.
“Are you tired, Baby?” I asked glancing in the rearview mirror five minutes after we’d gotten in the car.
“If I say no, can I stay up later?”
“No,” both Harper and I agreed in unison. Harper chuckled and hid her reaction behind her hair.
“Well, can I have a TV in my room?”
“No,” we both agreed again, and Layla twisted her lips, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.
“Are you both having a ‘No’ day? Because if so, I can ask again tomorrow.”
Grinning, Harper and I made eye contact, but it was Harper who spoke.
“Layla, did I teach you no means no?”
“Yes,” she admitted slowly then her eyes flicked over to look at me. Glancing in the rearview mirror again she twirled her ponytail looking innocently at Harper, before looking more sheepishly at me.
“Sometimes if I ask Daddy, he says no, and if I ask him again as many times as I can, he says yes,” Layla disclosed to Harper.
